Malaysia waiting to show EU officials its sustainable palm oil practices, says Johari

The Plantation and Commodities Ministry will explain Malaysia’s sustainable palm oil practices to representatives from the European Union (EU).

Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the ministry was expecting the EU delegation to visit Malaysia between September and October.

“They have already recognised our Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification. We want them to fully accept our sustainability and traceability systems.

“I’m waiting for them to come here in September or October, so they can see firsthand how we implement these practices,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysian International Cocoa Fair at the Sabah International Convention Centre.

Johari was responding to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which had recently classified Malaysia as a “standard risk” country.

Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) chief executive officer Roslin Azmy Hassan previously said the classification could result in palm oil producers, especially smallholders, being excluded from the EU market, despite complying with national standards like MSPO.

MSPO is Malaysia’s national sustainability certification that ensures environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable palm oil production.

Johari also encouraged commodity players in the country to adopt sustainability practices, especially if they intended to export their agricultural products.

“For the EUDR, we must comply. Even without it, many of our products are exported to Europe.

“Large companies with plantations, mills, refineries and oleochemical plants control the entire supply chain. However, we want to ensure that MSPO certification also includes smallholders. As of now, about 85 per cent of smallholders are compliant,” he added.

On cocoa farmers, Johari said he wanted all of them to register with the Malaysian Cocoa Board to get their crops certified.

Tags: European Union, Production, Malaysia, palm oil, Malaysian Palm Oil Association, European Union Deforestation Regulation, Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil